Broadway Spring 2019 Preview - The Musicals
Check out our guide to the seven new musical productions on the Great White Way this spring...
Who doesn't love a musical?! And who doesn't love the fact that there are no less than seven brand new musical productions officially opening on Broadway this spring?! Once again, the eclectic mix of shows within any season has ensured that this spring is ticking all the boxes with original pieces, jukebox musicals, film-to-stage adaptations and revivals of the classics. So, whatever you're into, Broadway has got you covered! So, as The Temptations would say, "Get Ready!"
Here's the rundown of musical offerings this spring...
Be More Chill
Officially opening this coming Sunday, March 10, is the hugely hyped new musical Be More Chill (based on the popular 2004 novel by Ned Vizzini) which boasts an original score by Joe Iconis and a host of young Broadway favorites in the cast such as Will Roland, George Salazar, Tiffany Mann, and Jason Tam, among others. The show, which has already proved itself a viral hit with those coming of age in the digital age, takes aim at contemporary issues like bullying and mental illness set against the virtually awesome backdrop of sci-fi, horror and teen movies. Calling all Losers, Geeks and Whatevers - this new musical at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre is #NotToBeMissed!
Be More Chill Tickets are available now for performances through to October 20, 2019.
Kiss Me, Kate!
If you feel like the days of "being chill" are a little behind you (although I would argue all us theatre lovers are young at heart), then how about a chic revival of a Cole Porter classic? Yes, Roundabout Theatre Company has always set the bar high when it comes to musical revivals and this season is no exception as Broadway darling and Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara stars in Kiss Me, Kate! at Studio 54. Tony Award nominee Will Chase and Corbin Bleu (the "High School Musical" star who wowed audiences in Roundabout's 2016 production of Holiday Inn) provide stellar support in this musical comedy that follows the onstage-offstage battles between actor/producer/director Fred Graham and his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi as they stage a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. An official opening is set for next Thursday, March 14, and with classic standards such as "Too Darn Hot" and "Always True To You In My Fashion" in Porter's score, it may well prove impossible not to fall "So In Love" with this one!
Kiss Me, Kate! Tickets are available now for performances through to June 2, 2019.
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations
There's no denying that jukebox musicals are all the rage nowadays as producers pull off collaboriations with icons of the music industry to appeal to a broader audience demographic than just the die-hard Broadway fans. Whilst you'll have to wait a little longer for musicals featuring the hits of Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and Alanis Morissette (to name just a few), the wait is over for this new bio-musical about the rise and the trials and tribulations of perhaps one of the greatest groups in R&B history. Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations officially opens at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on March 21, but has already been delighting New York audiences in previews, as well as pre-Broadway audiences in Berkeley, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Toronto with cherished songs such as "My Girl," "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)," and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"... So "Get Ready" for jukebox at its best!
Ain't Too Proud Tickets are available now for performances through to November 24, 2019.
Oklahoma!
The second musical revival of the season is one we just "Cain't Say No" to! Performances begin on March 19 for the Broadway transfer of director Daniel Fish's hit interpretation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic Oklahoma!, ahead of an April 7 official opening. This Bard SummerScape production earned rave reviews last fall during its sold-out run at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, offering a modernised take on Oklahoma! (complete with electric guitars) and the Circle in the Square Theatre is the perfect intimate space for the immersive nature of the production. The 1943 musical, of course, revolves around the infamous love triangle between Laurey Williams and her two rival suitors - Curly McLain and Jud Fry - and features the standards "People Will Say We're in Love," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and the titular song. We've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going this revival's way!
Oklahoma! Tickets are available now for performances from March 19 through to September 1, 2019.
Hadestown
We think this one may well end up a dark horse for the Tony Award for "Best Musical" come June 9. Hadestown, a celebrated folk opera by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, has been on quite the journey from concept album to off-Broadway premiere to Canada to London's esteemed National Theatre, but from March 22, it will finally lay its roots at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre. Co-conceived and directed by Tony Award nominee Rachel Chavkin, the show is a genre-defying adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice which takes us on a fateful trip to the Underworld. Our guides on this "Road to Hell" are a stellar line-up of Broadway names, including Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, André De Shields, Amber Gray, and Patrick Page, who are all in fine form in perhaps the most unique and inventive show of the season. An official opening is set for April 17.
Hadestown Tickets are available now for performances from March 22 through to September 1, 2019.
Tootsie
It's common place now for a Broadway season to offer at least a small handful of popular movie-to-stage adaptations and this spring the much loved 1982 movie Tootsie is getting the Broadway treatment. In fact, the book of the musical switches the setting from a television soap opera to Broadway itself, as high maintenance actor Michael Dorsey goes for his dream role on the New York stage... under the guise of his alter-ego Dorothy Michaels, of course. Tony Award nominee Santino Fontana steps into the shoes - and high heels - of Dustin Hoffman and leads the cast which also includes Broadway favorites Lilli Cooper and Sarah Stiles in supporting roles. Performances begin at the Marquis Theatre on March 29, ahead of an official opening on April 23.
Tootsie Tickets are available now for performances from March 29 through to December 22, 2019.
Beetlejuice
And last but by no means least, rounding out the season is the ghost with the most as another 80's film favorite hits the Broadway stage! Fans of Tim Burton, rejoice, as the Great White Way becomes the Great Fright Way this spring! Beetlejuice will be haunting the Winter Garden Theatre from March 28, officially opening on April 25. The macabre story follows young and lonely Lydia (Sophia Anne Caruso), who has perhaps a slightly unhealthy obsession with death. As Lydia moves into a haunted house, she calls upon the Rated R spirit of Beetlejuice (Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman) in an attempt to scare her insufferable parents away and out of her life. What could possibly go wrong?! Jam-packed with illusions and special effects "to die for", this new musical is a must-see for fans of all things spooky and unashamedly kooky! It's Showtime!!!
Beetlejuice Tickets are available now for performances from March 28 through to October 6, 2019.
Check back with us next week for our Spring 2019 Broadway Preview of all the new plays heading our way this spring!
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